One out of three Americans suffer from chronic pain. Think about that for a minute. You, me, your partner, your friends, your family, your colleagues, your clients. We are all at risk and many are already suffering. Advances in medicine, longer life spans and an aging population only make the challenges all the more important.

Chronic pain can be disabling, detrimental to functioning and at the very least, distracting. How do we treat it? Do opiates help? Why would the Michigan Legislature pass a law establishing a “right to adequate pain relief”?

This one hour course will begin to answer these questions. Research will be cited to help wade through the myriad of “treatments”. Traditional medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, psycho- social methods and other approaches will be presented. Specific techniques will be reviewed. Participants will be encouraged to apply the concepts both personally and professionally.

And finally, not only will this course meet the requirement for one hour of pain management education every three years, but it will also help you understand where the requirement came from.